Hasselblad X1D II 50C Full Review: how the medium format mirrorless camera preforms in the studio

[@kunalkishor8635]

So the most amazing part of the video is the thing that is often underrated. The comment section. The first youtube content creator who is so dedicated to his work. He actually replied to everyone who commented here. This made me subscribe you man. Huge respect for you from India! Thanks for the review btw!

[@JohnGress]

No problem Kunal! I try to respond every morning.

[@thecsciworker291]

You're judging a content creator by there ability to respond to every comment? What about creators with 1000+ comments? You think it's remotely reasonable for them to respond to everyone? Just asking.

[@chrisbogart687]

To enjoy the X1D II - it needs to be savored and enjoyed. No run and gun. Just a thoughtful and enjoyable experience. The ergonomics, the menu system, and the image quality all put it in a class by itself. I picked up an excellent used one after the X2D was released and saved $5K from buying the X2D. The XCD lenses work wonderfully on this camera including the new V series. Just have to choose what suits your work.

[@b.peppercorn739]

Your images are stunning, so well done. I have gassy x2d and love it

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! Sorry about that ;)

[@b.peppercorn739]

@@JohnGress why would you be sorry? Sorry about what?

[@JohnGress]

Oh! I read your comment "Gassy" as you saying that I gave you Gear Acquisition Syndrome

[@b.peppercorn739]

Typo should have been Hassy 😱

[@JohnGress]

I figured =)

[@b.peppercorn739]

Such gorgeous portraits

[@JohnGress]

Thank you so much!

[@trumanhw]

Excellent and objective review. Pissing everyone off is the duty of truthful people.

[@JohnGress]

Ha. Thanks! Gotta hit it up the middle.

[@Zetaphotography]

Just picked up an 4116 and it’s amazing

[@darrelltheriault5793]

Thanks for your thoughtful and honest review. Hasselblad presents a fascinating option.

[@JohnGress]

Thank you!🙏🏼

[@vinnieldn]

Super happy to have discovered this channel today. Great review, fantastic pictures :)

[@JohnGress]

Awesome, thank you!

[@Herkulez1981]

The colors esp on dark skinned people are Amazing . We Photographers in sweden are really proud over out two companys that produce High ens Photography gear.

[@JohnGress]

When I come to visit I'll put tape over my cameras Canon logo ;)

[@sundeepsembi6091]

Feels like the mk3 might be the one to wait for . Really informative. Thank you

[@JohnGress]

Great to hear it! Thank you!

[@guidetheride2103]

I love that fact that you take an objective approach, you’re winning in my book. 👍. The Hasselblad is a niche camera in many respects, and I can see why people love it, many pros use this camera for portraiture and fashion, their images can be used in a multitude of spaces from huge billboards to magazines, the same goes for other cameras I guess but the users know why they use it more so than those that don’t, the real estate on the medium format sensor for one will have as you say open quite a few doors creatively. Would be great to compare to the Fujifilm MF camera just released too. At the end of the day it’s horses for courses, individual shooting style and preference, I think you suggest this in the video objectively. Another good video, thanks John.

[@JohnGress]

Thank you so much! I would love to play with the new fuji camera. I wonder if it would be everything I wished this Hasselblad was at twice the MP 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@guidetheride2103]

@@JohnGress And twice the price, probably justifiably to pro users! All tax deductible John 🤔 lol. If by any chance you’re anchoring after a MF sensor camera it might be worthwhile hanging in there; I wouldn’t be surprised if a few more manufacturers move into that space and not in too distant a future. I kind of feel that there’s going to be a bit of a move / shift in the market, rightly or wrongly to get some, even if only perceived, distance between the prosumer and pro level mirrorless cameras and the phone and tablet cameras which are on-the-quick-march. And that’s coming from someone who uses a phone camera in my work, M43 always with (just in case ...) me and a FF for the dedicating landscape photography outings and studio, yes I know, why do I need that many..., the answer is ‘need has nothing to do with it!! In fairness I’ve built up the Arsenal over quite some time and use them all anyway.

[@Herkulez1981]

Im so tempted to buy a used OG x1d for studiowork and use my Canon 5d3s for weddings etc just to get somethimg different to shoot with and a better image quality cause you can find them for 2500 dollar used

[@luissalazar2021]

Wow that’s great sharing, you’re work is amazing. Thanks for sharing

[@JohnGress]

Thank you so much Luis!

[@brettida3936]

I am a Nikon shooter so I was not offended! LOL Nice review from a studio point of view!

[@JohnGress]

Phew! LOL thanks Brett!

[@vitall7871]

He better get top of the line Leica or mamiya or hasselblad and then compare and see how far canon or nikon. Canon and nikon for me are honda and toyotas. When I asked people who is better canon or nikon no one can't answer this question.

[@frenchfries6775]

@@vitall7871 thats funny, hondas and toyotas hahahahaha.

[@QuantzPhoto]

Thanks, John! I always enjoy seeing people's (educated) experiences with other cameras out there! Looking forward to your GFX100 review next! Haha

[@JohnGress]

Ha! Thanks James! You know I can't wait to use it.

[@kalebarthur4574]

Sorry to be offtopic but does anyone know of a tool to get back into an Instagram account..? I somehow lost the password. I love any tips you can offer me.

[@zaydendawson472]

@Kaleb Arthur Instablaster =)

[@kalebarthur4574]

@Zayden Dawson thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff now. Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@kalebarthur4574]

@Zayden Dawson it worked and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D Thank you so much you saved my account :D

[@jeffjean5965]

Hello, can you please review the Hasselblad X2D. Would love to know your thoughts.

[@danielniehoerster7460]

Great Review! But how did you manage to get the Hasselblad Tiff files from Phocus to Capture One?

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! I was able to import regular TIFFs, you could just do jpegs too. I wasn't able to import the fff ot 3FR files.

[@andrewporfyri559]

Thank you, I found your review very informative & honest.I suppose there is no camera that will make everyone happy.Similar to buying a car, there are small cars for speed & high performance & there are big cars for comfort & cruising

[@JohnGress]

Well said! Thank you for watching and thanks for your kind words Andrew.

[@dabonai]

Thank John for the comparison. I know this video is from 2 years ago but I wonder if you have tried other medium format cameras or a second review of this model. I like the photos you take so I am sure now it is not only a camera gadget but more in there to get your result which I love it. 🙂

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! I am thinking about trying one of the Fuki 100mp cameras =)

[@jean-claudemuller3199]

Hi John I am a long time X1D user, with the 80 and 120 you had just the two AF slowest XCD lenses, XCD 90 and 135 are faster. With the XCD 120 the viewfinder shows that you were in AF far modus, it could be faster in AF near modus.

[@JohnGress]

Great catch. Thanks for the tips.

[@jakobjohannsson1045]

I have the Hasselblad 907x and Sony A7R IV and I mainly shoot portraits. I think your review and comparison was very fair. It slows you down a lot using the Hasselblad cameras but the result in image quality does more than make up for it. Unbeatable I think. It makes me also take much better pictures! But as you point out these cameras are not for everybody and that's why I hold on to my Sony for more action and movement.

[@JohnGress]

Thanks Jakob! I would love to play with you 907x! It looks like a lot of vintage-ish fun!

[@MilesforMoments]

Would love to see you do a review of the GFX100.

[@JohnGress]

ME TOO! Fuji... if you're listening!

[@michaelclarkphoto]

@@JohnGress I can probably help make that happen.

[@lim2001burger]

And/or maybe the GFX50R, which is a closer competitor to the Hasselblad?

[@JohnGress]

I would love that Michael!

[@JohnGress]

A friend of mine owned a GFX 50 and we've been comparing notes. It sound like they would be pretty similar to this camera and it wouldn't be the camera for me,

[@derrickdu]

Great video! I find that the X1DII has noise when I zoom in to 100%. How did you remove them? In Phocus or Capture One or LR? Thank you. Very informative video.

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! I think I only touched on it briefly. I did it in Phocus. I don’t think noise reduction is turned on by default in Phocus, like it is in the other programs. .

[@cesarebonazza]

When you use it outdoor is the EVF very dark no matter what setting you have. The first one using flash outdoor on a backlight situation my background was always dark no matter what metering method I had From spot to center or full metering It was so annoying I couldn’t see model expressions. Let me know if they fix that issue. 🙏

[@JohnGress]

Oh well I was shooting something in the shade so I am not sure about that specifically. Using it outdoors is how I realized that I was getting noise inside and not just a low resolution read out. When I used my R5 in a heavily back lit situation I also couldn't see the model, but the sun was in the frame. With a DSLR I would have gone blind and the images probably would have been out of focus too.

[@jean-claudemuller3199]

It depends on your LV configuration: with or without exposure simulation in the menu tab "general settings/live view". (this setting can be different in auto exposure modes and manual) Exposure simulation is not able to take account of the flash fill and the subject will remain dark, as if you had shot the image without flash With no exposure simulation the dark subject becomes lighter with a lot of noise in the viewfinder. This noise comes from the heavy viewfinder image amplification and is not present in the image file. Same situation by night with or without exposure compensation.

[@cesarebonazza]

@@jean-claudemuller3199 that exactly what I experienced on the first model thank you for let me know very detail info . That why I think the Leica S3 ( best DSLR viewfinder!! ) or Phase one with leaf shutter lenses are better with flash outdoor. Do I own any them no :( Really appreciated taking the time to reply to me.

[@Crazyyellowbird]

Hi Sir, pretty nice to hear your honest and interesting comments on Hasselblad X1DII vous II. I am Q and Capture one user for my pleasure photgraphy. I like to jump to Hasselblad X1DII but how can I do because C1 does not support Blad raw files? Would you like please give me idea for post processing blad raw files again? I do not want to go back to Adobe. Thank you

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! You would need to use Hasselblad's Phocus or Lightroom.

[@Crazyyellowbird]

@@JohnGress how can you export on tiff to use with C1 later? Thanks

[@JohnGress]

@@Crazyyellowbird Yes, I addressed using Phocus and exporting tiffs for C1 in the video.

[@FerryKnijnFotografie]

One correction, the camera doesn't shoots true 16 bit photo's. The sensor only outputs a 14-bit file. But since Hasselbalds processor only can create 16-bit files it is a 14bit file packaged in a 16 it container.

[@JohnGress]

I did hear that too, but both their website and manual say 16-bit, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt.

[@FerryKnijnFotografie]

@@JohnGress If you use RAW-digger you can sea it uses only one in every four channels of data. What they do is put a quarter liter in a liter bottle and sell it a a liter bottle. Because the file is 16-bit. But not it's content. So it is the marketing department searching for the edge.. It has the same señor as the GFX and that just has 14-bit files because the sensor is 14-bit. It is a trick Hasselblad has been using for a few years because of the first processors couldn't create 14 bit... But could do 16...

[@JohnGress]

And what about the GFX100 which is marketed as 16-bit?

[@FerryKnijnFotografie]

John Gress it is 16-bit. Has a different sensor. It is this 50mp sensor which has the max of 14 bit output. The 100mp sensor fujifilm/hasselblad/phase one are using is made to output 16 bit.

[@FerryKnijnFotografie]

Although the difference will be really hard to see since there are no 16-bit monitors to check it...

[@michaelclarkphoto]

If you like the image quality of the 50 MP X1DII sensor then the GFX 100 would blow your mind--especially since it has IBIS, Face Detection and Eye Tracking.

[@JohnGress]

Yes! It sounds like it would be fun to use and fun to look at after the fact! Once I saw these images, I knew I needed to try the GFX100.

[@olesjor]

GFX 100 are amazing! But IBS is not really a benefit when your using strobe

[@JohnGress]

@@olesjor I think it could be when mixing light sources at 1/125.

[@silvere36]

Having more "tech" doesn't always mean better images.

[@manilamartin1001]

Good to hear you liked it. Sounds like its better than the first one. I rented the first but it was too buggy

[@JohnGress]

I read about the problems. Shame.

[@TerryK67]

Great review...I called my Mom and she agreed....:) Oh, she asked me to tell you to stop calling her...:)

[@JohnGress]

LOL thanks Terry!

[@Jp-international24]

Does this camera work w profoto strobes? I’ve never seen a remote for hasselblad. If not I’m considering Fuji GFX

[@JohnGress]

I used a Nikon transmitter with it and it worked fine with Elinchrom strobes. I am not sure if TTL will work, but you don't have to worry about HHS since it does normal flash at up to 1/2000.

[@PROgaming-fm6yu]

the hassy haa Nikon hot shoe. So if you use Profoto strobes just get the Nikon air remote for ttl

[@marcpellas2396]

Very interesting. Thank you

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! I hope it was helpful.

[@PROgaming-fm6yu]

Just curious if you tethered with phocus? If so, how was the speed of it? thx

[@JohnGress]

Sorry, I don’t think I did.

[@mjscpr]

It's similar to the R5 with C1, that is: very useable. The pace of the X1D is so slow though, that you don't quite feel like you're waiting at all - in my opinion and for my purposes.

[@deingewissen_official]

I need one

[@sajidhanif99]

here from manny video. 🙂

[@JohnGress]

Welcome!

[@adhi_atma]

Its pretty normal. OLPF does smoothen image a little bit beside reducing moire. There is always some trade off . But comparing to 5ds(not 5dsr) with r5, olpf on r5 seems less strong which resulting sharper image & better detail.

[@JohnGress]

Yes that's why I included test charts from both the 1Ds III and the 5DsR. I wish they were avaiible for the 5Ds.

[@adhi_atma]

@@JohnGress digital-picture list images from all camera he tested in single lens which is 200mm f/2L IS . You can choose it & compare between cameras

[@JohnGress]

Well that definitely explains it! I would have never figured that out on my own, so thanks for the tip!

[@nooddles12]

dang! i was looking for any excuse to switch from my a7r iv

[@JohnGress]

I think there’s a new version and it looks really beautiful

[@Herkulez1981]

Would love to have one and it would fit my style of shooting i think, but its to similar to a ordinary camera so i would go for the new 907x , sure how the camera looks should not be importaant but it is usch a beautiful peace of art so i would love to have one even if i never used it lol

[@JohnGress]

I would love to play with that back on an old camera - it looks so sexy!

[@mohmed6681]

Thank you

[@JohnGress]

You're welcome. Thank you!

[@rickjbradbury]

Interesting comparison. Goes to show sensor size does matter. I have been more than happy with the IQ from my Canon 5DsR and will be adding a 5Ds to the kit soon also to replace the 5D4 i have now. Maybe one day I can look at MF.

[@JohnGress]

That's interesting Richard. Why are you not considering the R5?

[@rickjbradbury]

​@@JohnGress Few reasons. Main is price. £1100 V £3800 I would much rather put that kind of money toward MF and gain better IQ. The other reason is I don't like EVF's. Planning on sticking to DSLR and running the 5D series for the foreseeable as they do all I need really. I can't see an R5 giving me batter IQ then what the 5DsR provides already. Could of course be wrong on that.

[@JohnGress]

I think there is a video for that - kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6mXkGunfJJonqs

[@rickjbradbury]

@@JohnGress Thank you. Not something I would watch myself as he does not shoot the type of work I do.

[@JohnGress]

Awww ok,

[@HalfInsaneOutdoorGuy]

7:13 ...your battery is low mate XD.

[@EyeLensWeddingVideography]

in my opinion at that price tag is not worth it

[@thecsciworker291]

My thing is, you're comparing image quality of a full frame camera to a medium format. Quality of lens can barely affect the outcome. There's just not nearly enough pixels to represent a image with a smaller sensor vs a larger one (50MP is far from 45MP...and on top of that the density is faaar different). It's just the same as comparing a medium format to a large format for image quality. It makes little sense because the smaller sensor is already fighting a losing battle. It would be better to compare this camera to one of Fuji Films 100MP medium format. They are on the same leveled field and so the only factor is pixel density, which will vary based on Pixel size. On the surface 100MP might sound more dense, but really, what are the size of the physical pixels taking in light...

[@JohnGress]

I disagree. Many people looking at these larger than 35mm cameras are using 35mm sensors and will want to know how they compare to see if making the leap is worth it.

[@thecsciworker291]

@@JohnGress Yea, I agree on that. Taking the review from that perspective makes sense.

[@HalfInsaneOutdoorGuy]

I feel like the hasselblad is a very overrated camera.

[@HalfInsaneOutdoorGuy]

Perhaps I'm wrong, seems to be geared about 85% of the way to portraits only....maybe they'll get the other 15% 'gearing' done at a later date? or on another camera? hah. I've used APS-C canon (80d) for 4 years doing video though so what do I know hahah

[@JohnGress]

I think its good for people who like a tactile deliberate experience. But I bet version 3 will be a lot different.

[@adrianzaharia8885]

Big prints are irelevant in this digital screen banners era.

[@GillesQuennevilleGQ]

I hope Hasselblad will not pay more attention to any autofocus. This is stupid.

[@GillesQuennevilleGQ]

You better stay with your Canon. I dont think you understand this Hasselblad. Maybe you need more time.